Assumption University is blessed to have a wealth of talented and dedicated faculty who are united in their commitment to the development of academic excellence in our students and our University.   Creating opportunities for faculty to exercise their diverse gifts and abilities effectively on this front is crucial to the success of the University.  The Office of the Provost is therefore pleased to announce the founding of the AU Provost Fellows Program.  This program invites qualified, tenured faculty members to make meaningful contributions to the academic excellence of our University by working with the Provost’s Office on targeted, strategic initiatives. Faculty involved in the AU Provost Fellows Program gain experience on the administrative level as they work with senior University officers and departments to achieve the mission-oriented academic goals of Assumption University.

AU Provost Fellows Responsibilities

AU Provost Fellows partner with senior administration on initiatives and projects that are vital to Assumption University’s academic and educational success.  As an AU Provost Fellow, a tenured faculty member will work on academic initiatives that encompass and span the educational life of the University, implementing mission-critical strategic initiatives, learning about budget planning and management, and honing their personal leadership and collaborative skills.

AU Provost Fellows will receive appropriate release time (course reductions fitting the specific initiative they are working on) and administrative resources as they continue to carry out their primary faculty responsibilities as teachers and researchers. Fellows will meet with the senior administrator directing their project on a biweekly basis and take part in developmental programs specifically designed for AU Provost Fellows.  Depending on the assigned initiative, an AU Provost Fellow’s post may run for either a single semester or extend over a full academic year.

2024-2025 Provost Fellows

Foundations Program Provost Fellow

Providing all undergraduates with a rich and common experience of the breadth and depth of Catholic liberal education, the Foundations Program is—and will continue to be—the signature undergraduate, academic program at Assumption University.  Infusing the distinctive aims and ends of this program across the entire landscape of Assumption’s undergraduate programs lies at the heart of AU Thrive.  Reporting directly to the Provost and working closely with the Dean of the D’Amour College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, this Provost Fellow will help develop substantial, innovative initiatives that imbue the Foundations Program throughout the Universities various schools, bringing the program to life beyond its curricular requirements and unifying the essential educational aims that mark an Assumption education.  Duration: Full Academic Year.

Graduate Studies Provost Fellow

The significant and sustained expansion of Assumption’s graduate student enrollments is a crucial objective of AU Thrive.  Such strategic growth will require the careful identification, development, and implementation of a catalogue of new graduate programs that clearly align with the University’s educational mission.  The Graduate Studies Provost Fellow will be responsible for developing an innovative process for soliciting and evaluating ideas for new graduate-level programs and professional education opportunities within the Assumption community.  Reporting directly to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and working closely with the Chief Marketing Officer, this Provost Fellow will see this initiative from the idea stage through implementation.  Duration of fellowship: Full Academic Year.

Enrollment Management Provost Fellow 

Infusing Assumption’s distinctive educational mission throughout our students’ entire experience—from admission to graduation and beyond—is rightly the first goal of AU Thrive.  The successful achievement of this goal will necessarily require close collaboration between Academic Affairs and Enrollment Management.  Reporting directly to the Vice President of Enrollment and working in close conjunction with the Provost, this Provost Fellow will be responsible for: 1) identifying, developing, and communicating innovative ways for faculty to support and academically enrich enrollment efforts; 2) detecting and operationalizing key predictors of students’ academic success at Assumption; and 3) building opportunities that optimally and prominently showcase distinctive academic programs.  Duration of fellowship: Full Academic Year.

Nomination and Selection Process

Qualifications

Applicants must be tenured faculty members. Prior leadership experience is preferred but not required.

Nominations

A request for nominations for specific Provost Fellow posts is circulated to Deans and Vice Presidents. Deans and Vice Presidents can nominate faculty members by sending a brief description of their qualifications and curriculum vitae to the Office of the Provost. The Provost’s Office will solicit additional required information from the candidate.

Faculty members also can self-nominate for a particular Provost Fellow post. Self-nominations should include a two-page statement summarizing specific academic/administrative interests and professional goals, as well as a current curriculum vita. The Provost’s Office will solicit endorsement of the nomination from the nominee’s Dean.

Academic Year 2024-2025 Application Dates:

Application Process Opens: December 15, 2023
Application Deadline: February 1, 2024.